Our invention relates to a method and apparatus for cooking laundry starch. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus and method for the cooking and dispensing of single batches of laundry starch which are cooked and discharged in consecutive single batches as needed to one or more commercial laundry machines.
The problems of existing starch cookers include insufficient agitation resulting in lumpy starch, inferior starching and starch build-up on press heads; overcooking the starch resulting in inferior starching of the garments; fouling of unused starch; and danger to employees from the manual transfer of hot starch solution from the starch cooker to the laundry machine. These problems were first addressed by the single-batch starch cooking and dispensing apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,169; and in the improvements and method described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,584.
We disclose an apparatus for cooking and dispensing starch to one or more laundry machines. The apparatus of the preferred embodiment comprises a hopper for holding dry starch, the hopper being positioned over a mixing chamber for mixing dry starch and water together to form a starch and water mixture. The hopper has a stirrer positioned within it, the stirrer being connected to a stirrer motor; and also an auger positioned with respect to the hopper so as to receive dry starch from the hopper and deliver a predetermined amount of dry starch to the mixing chamber. The auger has an auger motor to drive it. The mixing chamber has a circulation pump for circulating the starch and water mixture within the mixing chamber.
A pressure pump having an input and an output has its input connected to the mixing chamber. A cooking chamber has a fist opening connected to the output of the pressure pump, a second opening for receiving steam, and a third opening for discharge of cooked starch A steam valve is connected to the second opening of the cooking chamber, and a temperature-regulating valve connected to the steam valve; a source of steam connected to the temperature-regulating valve. A manifold is connected to the third opening of the cooking chamber, and a plurality of remotely-actuated discharge valves are connected to the manifold. The discharge valves are connected to a corresponding plurality of laundry machines.
A computer is operatively connected to the pressure pump and the steam valve; the computer being programmed to: respond to a signal from a laundry machine requesting starch, start the pressure pump a pre-determined time before opening the steam valve, stop the pressure pump a predetermined time after closing the steam valve, start the stirrer motor a predetermined time after opening the steam valve, stop the stirrer motor a predetermined time before closing the steam valve, start the auger motor a predetermined time after opening the steam valve, stop the auger motor a predetermined time before closing the steam valve, open the discharge valve connected to a laundry machine requesting cooked starch a predetermined time before starting the pressure pump, and, close the discharge valve connected to the laundry machine requesting cooked starch a predetermined after stopping the pressure pump.
Other embodiments of the invention may serve only one laundry machine; such embodiments may be directly connected to the laundry machine without connection to a manifold or discharge valve.